Skills crisis in care homes letting communities down

Almost a year after a BBC report revealed that a quarter of care homes were at risk of closing within three years, the specialist nursing practice at Clayton Recruitment, is urging political parties to put the issue firmly on the agenda in their manifesto pledges to ensure homes are providing adequate provisions to the communities they serve. This comes at a time when the lack of available staff is further compounding the issue and putting more homes at risk of closure due to inadequate availability of labour.

Commenting on the issue, Danielle Moore, nursing division manager at Clayton Recruitment, commented:

“The crisis in the social care sector is no new phenomenon, yet a year on from the Care Quality Commission’s report we are still seeing residential homes being shut in light of spiralling costs and funding cuts. I am hopeful that the election campaign will put this subject firmly in the spotlight and adequate measures are put in place by the new government which focus on getting the right skills into the profession – and crucially keeping them.

The fact still remains that not enough is being done to attract nurses into the profession – and we would like to see how any new government proposes to work with care home providers to entice young professionals to pursue a career in the sector. The press is awash with negative stories about the care arena but it is an incredibly fulfilling and varied career option and much more needs to be done to publicise this. Attracting people into the profession is crucial, but at a time when the sector is also contending with retention challenges, it is arguably just as important that care home providers and the government work on initiatives – such as subsidised training and employee wellbeing packages - that keep staff.

The care home sector provides services that are crucial to communities throughout the UK, however if it fails to act soon on the challenges it faces the entire system could grind to a halt. And at a time when there is huge uncertainty relating to foreign labour post Brexit– staff that are currently keeping the care sector ticking – the incumbent government needs to push this issue up the political agenda”

ENDS

Steph King
BlueSky PR
T: +44 (0)1582 790 707
E: stephanie@bluesky-pr.com
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